Ala. Dems may nominate 1st black for governor

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A well-funded black congressman has a shot at becoming the first African-American to win the Democratic nomination for governor of Alabama, even without the backing of the state's traditional civil rights organizations.

But a victory for Rep. Artur Davis in Tuesday's primary may be a short-lived milestone.

In a state that has gone Republican in five of the last six votes for governor, GOP candidates may draw more voters and are jostling for attention, particularly Tim James. The son of a two-term governor, James has aired blunt ads against illegal immigrants that set off fierce Internet debate and gave new momentum to his campaign.

There is no clear leader in either primary, and voter interest seems sidetracked by economic doldrums and worries over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that threatens Alabama shores.

Blacks make up nearly half of those who can vote in the Democratic primary, but Davis may have hurt his chances by scorning the state's four major black political groups. The four have thrown their support behind his white opponent, state Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks.

"I made a decision to take my case directly to African-American voters," said Davis, who skipped each group's mandatory screening process.

Davis won his congressional seat in 2002 without the groups' support, and some of them fought him again in 2008 when he led Barack Obama's successful effort to defeat Hillary Clinton in Alabama's Democratic presidential primary.

Davis said the groups no longer determine who wins black voters' support, but they still want candidates to put up large sums of money to have their names marked on ballots listing the groups' endorsements that are handed out on election day outside polling places in black areas.

The president emeritus of the Alabama New South Coalition, Hank Sanders of Selma, said racial politics is nothing new in a state where George Wallace once proclaimed "segregation forever" and served four terms as governor. But he said Davis' tactic was one he had never seen: spurning the black political group to make himself more appealing to white voters.

"The idea is to attack symbols, such as black leaders and black organizations, in a way that sends messages to white voters without alienating black voters. It's easy to miscalculate, and Artur Davis miscalculated," Sanders said.

Not all agree, with Davis picking up endorsements from the black mayors of Selma and Mobile - along with U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who was beaten by Alabama state troopers during a 1965 voting rights march in Selma.

"I am an Alabamian by birth, and I know what it would mean to see Artur Davis sworn in on the same steps where George Wallace stood," Lewis said.